A Love Reborn
by kcreol
Summary: Jadeite’s rebirth was unexpected. Although he didn’t remember what happened in his past life, he found himself harboring feelings for the Shinto priestess at Hikawa Shrine who he had only seen twice. Ch10 up. Ch11 underway. ON HOLD so sorry
1. It's in the Past

**Ten years ago…**

At New Year's Eve, my grandparents took me to the local shrine to give offerings and make my New Year's wish. It was my first visit to the Hikawa Shrine.

Standing near the temple gate, or _torii_, was a little girl wearing a fitting copy of a Shinto Priestess's kimono. Her hair was black and short, and a tiny ribbon was barely seen atop her head. She smiled and greeted everyone coming in the gate, handing out leaflets and fortune cards. As my grandparents and I drew closer, she turned our way and beamed.

"Good evening," she greeted my grandparents and to me she practically whispered, "Do you have a wish? Mine's to be a singing priestess!" She was awfully serious about it that I only stared and mumbled my half-decided wish.

I was smitten. And I didn't even realize.

**Five years ago…**

"I'm going to be late!"

My friends and I were supposed to meet at the Juban shopping district, near the fountain. I was so excited to finally go on my first date, that I spent too much time deciding on what clothes to wear. When I finally got around to choosing, it was already time! I only managed to squeeze in a few drops of gel on my hair and spray some perfume before I ran out of the house.

"Come on Kioshi!" called Ottori as he spotted me. "The girls are already there!"

It was a group date and as such, we were supposed to go the local Karaoke Parlor. All four of us guys decided to meet up first before meeting the girls there so as to somehow support each other. We were not geeky, ugly, or unlikeable to need to go there in full force. It's just that it was our first time on a date and we were too shy to go alone or even ask a girl out on a date. And we were already teenagers! How pathetic were we? Luckily, Ottori's childhood friend agreed to set up a group date with us and promised to bring four other friends.

"Hey Motoki," Ottori waved at the blond guy behind the counter. He nodded and waved us in.

"The girls are already waiting in room 105," Motoki informed us.

"Thanks," we replied in unison.

It was a little dark inside the room except for the light shown from the TV screen. But despite this, my eyes immediately settled on one solitary figure seated in the middle of five girls. She was the only one in her school uniform, as if she didn't care about how she looked or even care about the date. It was as if she was the last person to be invited, refused, dragged, and reluctantly agreed.

Time must have skipped between me staring at her long, straight, black hair and purple eyes because all I heard was Ottori's friend ending the introductions with, "…and this is Rei Hino."

_Rei Hino_. I replayed her name in my mind. She seemed familiar. I stepped forward and faced her, which drew several eyes towards me. Even I was surprised at my own sudden surge of courage, or foolishness (whichever way you put it), although Rei seemed unfazed and just looked up at me, unblinking.

"Hi Rei, my name's Kioshi Hotaka." I held out my hand to shake hers and continued, "Have me met before?"

"No," was he cool reply. "I don't think so."

"Oh," was all I said.


	2. Images at Torii

"How pathetic am I?" Kioshi Hotaka cried to himself as he left the arcade centre.

Earlier that morning he was supposed to meet up with his blind date at the Juban Fountain but his date stood him up. Not wanting to call any of his friends and have them find out his embarrassment, he went to the arcade centre instead to while his time away.

_Am I so unlucky in love? _He checked his reflection as he passed by a shop's glass window, sizing himself. His style and appearance was not what anyone might consider in bad taste. His short, blond hair barely touched the collar of his short-sleeved, green polo shirt and his bangs just grazed his dark, emerald eyes. He had on a pair of khaki pants cut short just below the knees and fresh summer sandals.

A couple passed by and entered the store. The girl was clinging to the guy who didn't seem to notice that he was with his girlfriend. It was a sight that Kioshi wouldn't want other people to see on him. But every day that passed brought to him the idea that girls seemed to like the bad guys more than the nice ones.

_Perhaps I should try being bad for a while. If it turns out more beneficial, then it just might be me._

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

A week later found Kioshi in a phone booth talking to his newly acquired girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, honey," he replied on the receiver. "I nearly forgot that I have a dentist appointment today."

"But you promised to see me today," whined a female voice on the other line. "I haven't seen you in two days already! I miss you."

"I miss you, too, love," he sighed, hiding the exasperation in his voice. "But I've already passed this up so many days already. You don't want to kiss someone with bad breath do you?"

There was a pause on the line. And then, "Oh, alright. But promise you'll call me once your appointment is done so we can go out okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

"Great! Take care."

"Bye." Kioshi hung up and leaned back a while. He hadn't thought that girls can be so clingy. He met this one several hours after he bought himself a new outfit to get with the "bad boy" look and she fell almost head over heels in love with him. He was surprised at how a change in style could affect how girls react to him, and he hadn't started acting like a bad guy yet. Two days in the dating and he realized how clingy his new girlfriend was. _I need a day off_, he thought to himself and silently walked out of the booth.

He made several heads turn in his direction as he walked his way to the arcade centre. Even those accompanied by their boyfriends didn't care about giving him _the_ look as he passed by. That was how his look had changed him. But he can never be changed overnight or even a week. He was still the same shy and almost-a-pushover Kioshi that stammered at the sight of a really pretty lady. His get-up only helped him mask this insecurity away.

He peeked inside the arcade centre, found it packed, and decided against going in. _I'm supposed to clear my head anyway; not cram it with a bunch of games and noise_.

A few minutes later, he found himself at the bottom of the stairs of the Hikawa Shrine. Staring at the _torii_ at the top, a picture of a beaming little girl with short, black hair and a ribbon on top, wearing a priestess's kimono flashed in his mind. The image faded as fast as it came and was replaced by a picture of a snobby girl in her high school uniform; long black hair, and a look that said _I couldn't care less_.

Kioshi blinked the images away for several seconds. He didn't understand why they suddenly popped into his head, only that the _torii _triggered it. Thinking that it was a momentary lapse of sanity due to the summer heat, he decided to pay his respects at the shrine and perhaps find a way to gently get rid of his girlfriend. _It had been a mistake_, he thought anyway.


	3. The Third Time We Meet

"97…98…99…100!" He said triumphantly, jumping at the top of the stairs. Kioshi didn't expect that the shrine had 100 steps. He was surprised (and a bit tired) that it did. He took several deep breaths, leaning his arm on the _torii_, for a while. The way his knees slightly trembled told him that he was out of shape, or else he climbed the stairs too fast. Nonetheless, he felt his body's minor weakness. 

Once he got his bearings back, Kioshi walked past the _torii_, did the necessary custom of washing his hands and mouth, and then went to the store to get his _omikuji_ (or fortune). An old man with a gleaming, bald head greeted him and handed him the sticks. Kioshi gently shook the container and gradually increased the pace until a stick fell out of the pack. Handing the stick that dropped as well as the rest of them, the old man in turn gave him the slip of paper containing his fortune; but before Kioshi got the chance to read it, a sudden gust of wind blew the slip of paper from his fingers.

"Sir," Kioshi turned to the old man behind the counter. "Uhm, the wind blew away my fortune. Can I get another copy?" The old man went to the back of the store but apparently what Kioshi got was the last one. So instead, he decided to go the temple and pay his respects to the gods, and probably pray for a little more luck.

At the temple, Kioshi donated 500 yen into the box and prayed. The thoughts that rolled in his head were a mess and he couldn't get his ideas organized. Afraid that the gods might get irritated by his own indecisiveness, Kioshi bowed and decided to just let whatever image comes to mind instead of forming the words to his prayer. Again, the image of the little girl and the snobby high school girl popped in head. Before he got the chance to dwell on it, he was struck by a vision:

—He was at the edge of a cliff, standing in between two entities. It was hard to tell who or what the entities were. All he could understand from it was the feeling that he was protecting one from the other. He was in fact using his own self as a shield to protect one of the entities. Then a flash of blinding light burned his eyes.—

Kioshi swayed in his stance because of the image he saw. It was disturbing, no doubt about it, but there was something so definite about it as well. He tried to remember a bit more but the vision was too blurred and vague for him to understand. Putting the thought off, Kioshi rang the bell, bowed, stepped down, and prepared to leave the shrine.

On his way out he heard someone singing. The voice was decidedly female and it came from behind the tree where they hung the _okimuji_. Kioshi chanced a peek behind the tree and saw someone he hasn't seen in five years.

She wore an apprentice priestess's kimono—white top, red bottom—and her long, straight black hair danced gently with the wind. She sang beautifully as she was sweeping the temple grounds. And although it was generally required for everyone to be quiet when in shrines and temples, she didn't seem to care. Perhaps it was because visitors rarely come at that time of the day.

"Ms. Rei?" he called tentatively.

The woman turned and as she saw the one who called her, the reaction on her face was something Kioshi will never forget. A raging mix of surprise, bewilderment, disbelief, anger, hate, and a hint of curiosity glossed over the her eyes in that split second she saw Kioshi. She dropped her broom and took a stance that was nothing less than a fighting stance. Her lips parted and the voice that flowed from it didn't seem to be her own nor was it as gentle as the voice that was singing only a few seconds earlier. It was as if a whole different person spoke: "Jadeite".

Kioshi was so taken aback that his body took an involuntary step back. He was afraid and he knew that fact. Fear registered in his face and communicated it to the world. Why was she looking at him that way? "I-I'm sorry, Ms. R-rei," Kioshi stammered, a thought bubble showed an image of himself brandishing a mallet and hitting him on the head for being such a wimp. "I d-didn't mean to interrupt your singing. I didn't know it was you, I promise."

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, not relaxing one bit of her muscles.

"I-uhh. I came to pay my respects to the gods and get my fortune. I didn't know that you work were here."

"I live here." This time, a flash of suspicion crossed over the woman's features. "You should have been dead."

"Dead?" cried Kioshi. "What do you mean? Look Ms. Rei, let's not go harsh about this. I'm sorry about how I presumed to have known you that time five years ago. I just thought you looked familiar, that's all. There's no reason for you to condemn me so." The words just tumbled out of Kioshi's mouth. He no longer minded how stupid it might have sounded or how totally unconnected it was to the situation. Heck, he didn't even care how scared he looked.

"Don't mess with me Jadeite," the woman almost spat the name. "Why are you here?"

"Jadeite?" Kioshi finally caught on. "You must be mistaken. I'm Kioshi Hotaka, remember? Uhm, well… perhaps you don't remember," and he scratched his head for a while. "I was one of the group of guys you and your girl friends had a group date with at the karaoke parlor at Motoki's. And I was the guy you snubbed because I was too brash in assuming that we met before. You are Ms. Rei Hino, aren't you?"

A minute passed and as if by miracle, the woman relaxed and finally nodded, "I am Rei Hino."

Kioshi let out a breath that he realized he had been holding in for eternity and smiled.

"But I don't remember you," she continued.

Kioshi's knees at that moment gave way and he fell, butt flat on the ground. He was so damn scared. No amount of being a bad guy could have made him feel brave in the face of this woman. And the sheer aura he felt from her during the few minutes that elapsed exhausted him tremendously. But the only thing in his mind at that moment was that he fouled up and embarrassed himself again. _I stammered and almost ran away, and she doesn't remember me?_ A thought bubble with the same alter-ego-hitting-self-with-a-mallet appeared once more.


	4. Introductions

"I see," Rei said a few minutes later. Both she and Kioshi sat on the wooden steps up one of the Hikawa Shrine's quarters. After the incident and slight bit of mix up, Rei regained her composure and helped the fallen and utterly frightened Kioshi up. "But you must be practical about these things. I don't normally remember the guys I've dated, much less the ones that did work out so well."

A small sweat drop appeared on Kioshi's head. Hearing those words practically made him feel even more of a loser in love than a Casanova. "I guess I assumed too much. I'm sorry Ms. Rei."

"Call me Rei," she replied. "I feel old when people attach a 'Miss' before my name. I'm only turning 19 anyway. How old are you?"

"I'm two years older than you I guess," Kioshi scratched his head. "But even though you don't remember me, how come you've gone berserk all of a sudden. Was I so rude when I interrupted your singing?"

"No," it was Rei's turn to be embarrassed. "You kind of remind me of someone I knew."

"Hmm. I'm glad I'm not that person you know." Rei corrected him that it was someone she _knew_ before he continued, "I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of that side of your personality."

"It's not that bad, was it?" Rei faked a laugh that sounded horribly like a witch's. She didn't know what came over her to react so violently. And she cannot blurt out her thoughts to this person anyway seeing as he's actually from this planet. _Besides, _she added to herself, _this guy has no distinguishing aura whatsoever. He's clean as a whistle._

"Well for a moment there," Kioshi said, pulling Rei back to reality, "my whole life flashed before my eyes and I really thought I was going to die. Imagine that. You must be thinking how 'manly' I am now."

Laughing, Rei slapped Kioshi's back lightly but an impact that was harder than she intended and he fell face down on the ground. "Oh no, I'm sorry."

"I'm okay," said Kioshi, raising one hand to show that he really was okay and then pulled himself back up. "You just don't know your own strength I guess. Girls nowadays have gotten so strong. You must let us guys keep up with you once in a while."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. It will be hard for the nicer ones to catch you when you're all growing so fast and strong."

Rei didn't know what to say to that. It was a normal statement, coming from a guy. But it was as if to her, the words held some intimacy in them… as if it was a plea specifically dedicated to her and her alone… by this person… _who you didn't even remember_, whispered a voice in her head.

Kioshi opened his mouth to say something else but a beeping sound suddenly came out of nowhere like a ticking time bomb.

"Excuse me for a minute," said Rei as she pulled out what looked to Kioshi as a beeping wristwatch. Little did he know that it was Rei's communicator, a device she and her gang used to warn each other when trouble arises.

Rei stood up and turned to Kioshi with an apologetic smile. Then she left, giving him an excuse about totally forgetting her dentist appointment.

Kioshi was dumbfounded as his eyes followed Rei Hino disappear down the shrine's stairs. "Did I say something wrong," was all he uttered.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Hours later, Kioshi tossed in his bed can't seem to get his position right. He cannot think of anything else but Rei Hino. He tried going back to the arcade centre but it was even more filled with people than the last time he looked. He then tried to pick up several girls along the way but it seemed that his charms were on low that day, or else he just wasn't feeling any of them. Finally, he decided to call it a day and sleep. But he just can't!

"There's just something out-of-this-world about her," he thought loudly. "She's just so unique from all the girls I've seen so far. She's no dumb-dumb that's for sure, nor is she the type to be pushed over. I've already seen that side of her and I have no particular desire to see that again."

Once more, Kioshi turned over on his stomach and rested his head on both his hands. "So what is it? I mean, I've only seen her twice so far, thrice if I count today. And the gaps are so far a part, what—five years each? I can't even believe I remember those moments."

_Could she be my soul mate?_ The thought popped out of nowhere and as soon as it registered in Kioshi's brain, he smashed it down with an imaginary anvil. "Soul mate, huh," he smirked. "That's a pretty lame excuse. Admit it Kioshi, you're just too damn smitten by that woman that right now, after really having a conversation with her, you cannot get her out of your mind. Soul mate? That's just plain stupid."

_But she just might as well be_, the other thought seemed to counter. _Do you want to wait another five years to find out?_

"Alright, fine!" Kioshi made up his mind and sat up, slapping his face with both hands. "I'll visit her again tomorrow and see if there really is something between us… at least potentially."

-ring-ring-ring-

Kioshi took his cellular phone from his nightstand and looked at the name calling: Anita. _Shoot!_ He thought, _I already forgot about her._


	5. The Beginning

Kioshi delicately touched the purple bruise on his right cheek bone for the umpteenth time. No amount of concealer or whatever girly products can hide that. Instead, he dawned one of his biggest sunglasses in hopes of shifting the focus from the bruise to his shades. It didn't hurt as much as the past two days but he still felt bad about what happened…

—He asked to meet with his girlfriend as promised. And as planned, they visited the newly opened amusement park in the area named _Tsubasa Park_,and spent as much money as they can and had fun. Hotdogs, burgers, cotton candies, soft drinks, and all food and beverages possible entered their digestive system, until they were full to bursting. From the outside, they were the happiest couple in the area.

"We need to talk," Kioshi said once he and Anita had reached the center of the lake. He thought it best that he tell her out here, at the park's _Swan Lake_. It seemed private enough. There were make-shift swan boats, big enough to carry two people. It didn't have any oars of course since the whole "swan" is too bulky to even allow one to paddle on the sides. Instead, the rider paddles using his feet much like one does with a bicycle. In between the two available seats was the steering shaft to guide the "swan".

Kioshi didn't want to ride on one of the swan boats seeing that the bulk of the people who use the swan boats were couples in love. He was pretty much sure that he wasn't one of those people. As for Anita, he couldn't care less. He needed to lessen the idea that it was a romantic date and choosing a swan boat would have negated his plan. Luckily, the last swan boat was given to the couple before them. Anita had pouted, really wanting to ride the ridiculous swans but as Kioshi gave her one of his gentle smiles, she relaxed and placed herself of one of the normal boats, which were available for passengers of more than two people.

Gently, Kioshi broke the news to his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend, telling her that it was a mistake. He cared for her but only as a younger sister and not in a romantic way. "It will never work out," was how he ended it. He looked up to see Anita's reaction but her long blond bangs were covering her eyes.

Kioshi mumbled several other words meant to soothe the broken girl's feelings. But when Anita looked up suddenly, it was not what Kioshi expected. Along with the rise of Anita's head came her fist that collided with Kioshi's face. He fell in the water not really realizing what had yet happened. When at last he discovered that he was underwater, the shock quickly left him and he rushed to the surface of the lake. He looked around and foundAnita taking up the oars, leaving him in the middle of the lake.

He hadn't seen her since then. He also thought twice about calling her but decided not to. It wasn't his right. He broke up with her. He shouldn't be calling her, apologizing and rubbing it in the poor girl's face.—

Kioshi started at someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around to see who it was, his spirits deflated instantly at the person now standing in front of him.

"What happened to you?" Rei asked incredulously. The smile on her face twisted in surprise and she was already touching Kioshi's face before either of them knew it.

"It's nothing, Rei," said Kioshi, taking a step back. He didn't want Rei to see him like this although he had been wishing to see her. Today she was wearing neither kimono nor high school uniform. On her slender figure flowed a summer dress in shades of lime green and baby pink, a stark contrast to her piercing eyes and dark hair which was then tied up in a high ponytail.

"Don't tell me it's nothing," retorted the young priestess, pulling Kioshi by the hand. "Come with me, I'll treat that ugly thing. It's obvious you hadn't thought of doing anything about it."



Tiny electric shocks ran up and down Kioshi's body at the touch of Rei's hand on his. He didn't know if the girl felt it but he sure did. Stumbling a few steps, he then let her pull him to the Hikawa Shrine. It didn't occur to him that he was walking that way when he left his apartment.

Several minutes later, Rei finished dabbing Kioshi's bruise with an ointment her grandfather made. "This is quite useful and even more reliable that other ointments in pharmacies," she explained, making sure that the ointment was evenly applied on every purple skin available. "You won't find it anywhere except here. That should be gone by tonight."

"Thank you," Kioshi said, looking at himself in the mirror Rei placed beside him. Already it seemed that the bruise was lighter and smaller than before. And he no longer regretted her seeing him this way.

"So what happened anyway?" Rei's inquisitive eyes settled on his, making him tell the whole break up story.

"That's it?" She laughed and patted Kioshi's back. "You shouldn't feel so bad about it. Well, the bruise I mean. And anyway, if the girl had that big a punch in her and she gave it to you, I'm sure she'll get over it soon enough. Had she cried, then it might take weeks or months before she moves on. So don't fret about it."

She said it so easily and freely that Kioshi believed it. Some of the guilt left him and he felt better. At that moment, he wanted to touch her hand and thank her. But he knew it would be too weird and perhaps too fast. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head.

There was a knock at the door and it slid open. Rei's grandfather brought in some refreshments and snacks by her request and set it down the table. Before leaving, the old man endorsed the ointment that he made, handing several brochures to Kioshi; slapping him hard at the back, being the first customer and all, even giving him a small sample for free so that he can have his face punched all the time and not worry about it. He was a strange man but his character was easy to get along with.

"I like him," Kioshi smiled after Rei's grandfather closed the door. He glanced at the girl sitting beside him and for a split second saw what looked like respect pass her eyes as she studied him.

Then she smiled. It was the first understanding that they ever had. Kioshi didn't know exactly what they both understood but at that moment he felt a kind of affinity towards her and he was absolutely sure that the feeling was mutual. Neither of them spoke, both continued smiling. Finally, as if by signal, they reached for the same biscuit and laughed.

Afterwards, Kioshi helped Rei do her chores at the shrine. He insisted much to Rei's embarrassment. He had nothing to do anyway, plenty of free time.

They cleaned the quarters. Kioshi wondered who might be sleeping in the rooms and why, but he didn't pose the question. He took the garbage bag from Rei's hands and took it out himself. By then he was sure he saw the priestess quickly hide a blush after saying her thanks.

As the sun was setting, Kioshi and Rei ended the day's chores in sweeping the shrine's grounds. Kioshi tied the scattered leaves inside a bag and placed it beside the trash bag he took out earlier. When he got back, Rei had finished washing her hands and was seated outside one of the quarter's low deck.

"We can rest here for a while," she said, inviting Kioshi to sit beside her.

He sat obediently and crossed his legs in an Indian's position, he leaned back on his elbows and looked at the disappearing sun. "Thank you, Rei."

"For what?" she asked, confused. "I should be the one thanking you."

"No. I mean for making me feel better."

"I didn't do anything except give a speech. It was you who believed in it and that makes the difference."

"Yeah," he said, tiredly. "I guess so."

Just then, Rei's grandfather brought another tray of snacks and juice for them. "Hey sonny," he addressed Kioshi. "Would you like to work here for the summer? Or even part time once the season's over?"

Kioshi looked at the old man, not quite understanding what he meant until he repeated himself. "Oh," was his initial reply.

If he were to work at the Hikawa Shrine, he would be able to see Rei almost everyday. That's one of his wishes come true. Then he noticed Rei playing with the little club sandwich in her hand, not being able to decide how to eat it. Her eyes we focused solely on the sandwich as if it was a mystery to her. Then somehow, Kioshi knew.

"Alright. Sure," he replied. The old man gave a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat's and left the two of them alone.

Kioshi drank the juice to it's half. Now Rei's looking at her own glass of juice the same way with the sandwich. "Rei?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

And as if an invisible alarm clock rang in her ear, Rei's eyes seemed to snap back into focus. She looked at Kioshi strangely but then calmly smile. "Yeah, I'm good. The sandwich's delicious."

Kioshi took a bite and burped his agreement. That pulled a laugh out of Rei and Kioshi suddenly felt the tension, which he didn't know was there, ease. They talked for another hour, the orange sky swirling into a darker blue. It was only when the lights around the shrine lit up that Kioshi realized he'd spent almost the whole day at the shrine. He didn't miss anything when he was there.

"I think I should go," he said, standing up and brushing his khaki pants. "I had a great time. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Rei said, also standing up. She picked up the tray and followed Kioshi's movements as he prepared to leave. "Goodbye."

"Til tomorrow."


	6. The Girls

Again, Kioshi found himself lying in bed with too much to think about. He had passed by the Arcade Centre again before coming, which he noticed as becoming a routine for him regardless of whether the place was packed or not. He picked up some groceries and took out food from his favorite ramen store across his apartment.

The ramen he bought was already getting cold, lying on his bedside table. Letting it go cold was not part of his plan, but the sight of the brochures and the free ointment he got from Hikawa Shrine made him think of Rei again.

"That's number four," he sighed to no one in particular. He was holding one of the brochures, turning it over and over, almost memorizing every detail yet not really reading the contents. Again he sighed and made to stand up but as soon as he did, his left leg hit his bedside table and it only took a matter of seconds before the ramen spilled to the floor.

"Ack!" It was the only reaction he managed to make before he rushed to the kitchen in order to find something to mop up the mess. It didn't take him long though. The ramen was already cold and would not have tasted as delicious if it was scalding hot, so he need not caution himself in wiping it off and there were no regrets as to not being able to even eat a bit of it.

Kioshi caught himself. He was contemplating and rationalizing the spilling of his ramen as though it was some situation that needed to be assessed. Once he got back from the kitchen, where he threw the wasted ramen away, Kioshi lied back in bed again, totally forgetting what he stood up in the first place for.

As if on cue, his cellular phone rang. The number that showed was unregistered so he didn't know who was calling.

"Hello," Kioshi grunted.

"Were you sleeping? I'm sorry," came a female voice from the other line that made Kioshi sit up.

"Rei? No, no, I wasn't sleeping. What's up?" _Did I give her my number?_

"Sorry to bother you, but could you come over tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be glad to," he replied, grimacing at how accommodating he must have sounded. He didn't ask about the number issue. But he wondered what was up. Before he got to formulate the question, Rei had already replied her thanks and hung up.

"O…kay… That was fast," he said, staring at his cellular phone as if it had been a practical joke. Placing it on his bedside table, Kioshi decided on taking a cold shower, if only to suspend his thoughts for a while.

"Tomorrow's going to be the number five," he muttered to himself before closing the bathroom door.

The next morning found Kioshi, Rei, and her grandfather scrubbing the inner walls of the Hikawa Shrine. Kioshi didn't know that there were inner walls. He thought that, with the many trees surrounding the place, a person can go on forever and will eventually find himself in a forest. How childish it seemed to him then.

They were at the north eastern part of the whole place. Coming from the _torii_, their location would be all the way to the back, right side. Apparently, a group of no good delinquents snuck in that night and 

sprayed graffiti on the walls. One of the rough sprays resembled Sailor Mars, which, to Kioshi's wonderment, seemed to annoy Rei very much that she kept on scrubbing on one part of it that was already erased.

Kioshi arrived with Rei already scrubbing that part. Kioshi and Rei's grandfather had almost finished half of the graffiti and she still kept on scrubbing that specific part. _Perhaps Rei hates Sailor Mars's legs_, he thought as he continued to scrub at the remaining letter of a bad word.

It was already lunch time when they had finished, all three panting, sweating, and arms aching. As Kioshi and her grandfather came back after storing the pails and sponges, there were two sets of bath accessories on one houses' ledges.

"One of these is yours," Rei said, also holding a set to herself. "There are showers in this house so you can help yourself to one of them. I'm sure we all need a good bath after that tedious chore."

She was still annoyed, Kioshi could tell. He expressed his thanks and followed Rei's grandfather who seemed to have the task of pointing him to the right direction.

Half an hour later, Kioshi left the room he was given to change into a priest's white kimono. Thinking of what to talk to Rei about once he was with her again, his train of thought was permeated by a sweet scent, probably coming from the kitchen, wherever that was. He followed the delicious aroma and found himself once again at the porch where, only a few days ago, he sat and talked with Rei.

He found her sitting silently, seemingly lost in thought, and approached her. With a start, she turned, her surprise betrayed to Kioshi for only a split second. Then she smiled and gestured to the cake placed beautifully on the plate beside her.

"I baked this last night," she told him. "I haven't had the chance to start eating it. Why don't you join me?"

Only too excited to do so and have the chance to spend still some more time with Rei, Kioshi nodded and sat on the other side of the plate. Rei proceeded slicing the cake. After the second cake, Kioshi picked up his fork and was about to dig in when Rei sliced yet another, until the whole cake was sliced into eight pieces.

Before he got the chance to ask, Rei put one of the slices in one plate and stood up. "Wait here," she said. "I'll just take this to Grandpa."

As she left, Kioshi just then discovered that there were more plates than the ones he and Rei had. There were four more. Just then, giggles and chatter sounded from the Temple steps followed by someone hitting someone.

"Hey Rei!" Kioshi heard someone call out and footsteps that slowly got more audible. From the large cherry tree, four unfamiliar girls appeared and made their way towards to where he was sitting, not yet taking notice of him.

It was the blue-haired girl, who was silent all the time, who saw him first. She stopped, surprise and curiosity simultaneously flickering behind her eyes. The others looked at her. The other three followed the girl's line of sight and all four pairs of eyes were then boring on Kioshi. The effect was amazing.

The blue-haired girl was still unblinking. The tallest of them, wearing her hair up in a ponytail, stared at him, her hands opening and closing, forming fists one second and relaxing the next, as if readying for a fight. One of the blondes, holding a white cat one arm, seemed to be searching for something in her pockets. The white cat, to Kioshi's surprise, was too calm for comfort, its gaze at him piercing him 

as if it was thinking of something. Finally, the pigtailed blonde had her laughter suspended on her face.

Again, panic and perhaps fear picked its way into Kioshi's nerves. He had the fork in his hand; the piece of cake on it had dropped, forgotten on the floor.

"Hey guys," came Rei's voice. "I thought I heard Usagi's whiny voice out here. What took you so—"

Rei stopped in her tracks and surveyed the situation. Before anyone could make a move, she briskly walked to stand in between the four girls and Kioshi, nearer the latter.

"I see you've met Kioshi," she smiled brightly, retreating to the porch. "He's the guy I was telling you about. The one who seemed to have come from a past life. Remember?"


	7. First Impression

Rei held her breath as she saw the girls eye one another. She had already told them about Kioshi who looked to be Jadeite's twin brother, if he ever did have one. It was the first thing she did as she ran off, leaving Kioshi that day they first met, in order to help her friends fight off one of their many enemies...

—"He really looked like Jadeite," Rei, as Sailor Mars, had told them that day, panting. She parried off one of their enemy's many tentacles with her left arm and blasted the squid-cat's—because it had tentacles for legs and a cat's ears and whiskers on its upper human body—torso with her right fist, causing it to fall far back, dazed.

"I swear," Sailor Mars continued once she got hold of her breath, "everything about their physical appearances are pretty much the same but when I examined his aura and few mannerisms, it's as if I'm talking to a different person." The fire-powered sailor leaped on the monkey bars of the playground just in time to dodge a detached and yet still alive tentacle that tried to grab her leg.

"So who do you think—" a blonde girl with hair tied in half by a red ribbon dived across the sandbox, body slamming another monster. This monster was the complete opposite of the squid-cat with the head of an octopus and a feline's body. She also wore a sailor's outfit but in orange theme as opposed to Sailor Mars's red. Again, the orange-clad girl winced at the grotesque creature, rolled over its unconscious body, before continuing, "—he is? Jadeite or this Kioshi-person?"

"Fire Soul!" Sailor Mars shouted, shooting off a fiery phoenix from her clasped hands. It scorched through the detached tentacle into ashes. "I don't know, Sailor Venus," she sighed, addressing the girl in orange while looking over the squid-cat near the slides. It was steadily regaining its balance. Running to it she shouted back, "I believe he is a different person but I'd feel better if you girls check him out the next time I meet him."

"No problem," gently put in by a blue haired girl in almost the same sailor outfit matching the color of her hair. She reached the slides at the same time as Sailor Mars and they multiplied their force, hitting the squid-cat on its right and left sides with Sailor Mars's heeled shoe and Sailor Mercury's right elbow. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead using her gloved arm and smiled at the raven haired sailor, "Sailor Jupiter and I were about to suggest it anyway."

Sailor Mars looked over to the tallest and the only brown haired girl in their group. Also dressed in a sailor's outfit in shades of green, she was busy waking a pigtailed blonde lying near the benches. Sailor Jupiter was gently slapping the cheeks of their companion when the other monster threw Sailor Venus off and against a tree then charged at them.

Alarmed, Sailor Mars and blue-haired sailor ran to the other two girls' rescue but it seemed that the distance between them stretched and it would be only too late before they reached their companions. Suddenly, something zipped past them and gashed a long but shallow wound on the squid-cat's head.

"Even for an enemy almost lost in combat, treachery is bad form," boomed a voice from one of the cluster of trees. Sailor Mars smiled knowing that their chivalrous knight has come to save them—or Sailor Moon only—from their misses in battle. She looked towards one of the trees, her eyes keen and saw the knight, clad in a jet black tuxedo, matching top hat and cape swirling in the wind. His stance is always perfect as Sailor Mars caught herself in mid-sigh. In his hand he held a long staff similar to a magician's wand only longer.

The knight leaped and gently dropped between the squid-cat and the sailors Jupiter and Moon. "Sailor Mercury!" he cried to the blue sailor. "Help us a moment please."

The addressed sailor nodded, assumed her position and gathered her aura. She walked a few steps, twirled and turned, the air near her rippling blue. "Bubble Spray!" she shouted. Bubbles blew out of 

her open hands gathering around the monster while blue mist rose from the ground covering all of them.

_That will confuse the monster_, Sailor Mars thought, adjusting her eyesight and hearing to accommodate the sudden change. She saw her friends and quickly but silently rushed to them, already the knight had turned his back against the monster and was lifting Sailor Moon to his own arms.

"Sailor Moon," he whispered in the unconscious girl's ear. "Wake up. A mere bump in the head shouldn't leave you like this." He brushed a loose strand of hair from Sailor Moon's face and kissed her gently on the lips. Sailor Mars looked away, a little embarrassed at the show of affection. At the other end of the playground she saw Sailor Mercury helping Sailor Venus up.

"Uhnn..." Sailor Moon moaned. Sailor Mars looked back as the pigtailed princess slowly got up, like sleeping beauty after her prince charming kissed her. Smiling a bit, Sailor Mars assumed her stance beside Sailor Jupiter who was then alert knowing that the mist and bubbles created by Sailor Mercury will soon evaporate. "Thank you, Tuxedo Mask," she heard Sailor Moon whisper to the knight and then there was a rustle of cloak as the man leaped off again somewhere, leaving them.

Sailor Mars smiled her thanks as the Tuxedo Mask darted past her. Beside her, Sailor Moon brushed off some of the dirt on her face and posed herself ready for the final blow. Their leader nodded and as one, the four girls charged their opponents—Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars towards the squid-cat whereas Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury towards the cat-squid. The two pairs leaped to the air and kicked their respective opponents causing the two monsters to collide against each other with a thud. And slowly, as the girls drew back, the two monsters started melding into each other forming a more hideous monster than before and probably more dangerous.

Halfway through the transformation, Sailor Moon got out her wand and administered one of her finishing moves. A faint silhouette of the Holy Grail shown in the back ground as she twirled the wand like a baton in her hand, moving her arms in a fairly like fashion, until she finished at a particular stance: arms outstretched, one up holding the wand and the other across her body to the other side. She turned in place, spinning fast like a practiced figure skater, her pigtailes trailing around her as she shouted, "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!"

Pink light shot out of the jewel in Sailor Moon's wand, trailing hearts in its wake. The monster, vulnerable in its half-transformed state, froze as the pink light glared and enveloped it body. A rainbow shot past it and just as suddenly a huge heart crashed on to its body, contorting it and eventually blasting it into smithereens, leaving sound that seemed like a cross between a cry and a shriek.—

"Youch!" Rei cringed as a shrill voice pierced her ear returning her to the present problem at hand. Her pigtailed friend ran past her and abruptly stopped in front of Kioshi, bending at the waist and leaning forward. Her friend's face was inches from the guy's, obviously inspecting him with wide innocent eyes. As always, it was her curious and seemingly stupid friend who will first voice her opinion.

"Hi!" the pigtailed girl announced in Kioshi's face. "I'm Usagi Tsukino, the most beautiful in the group. Nice to meet you." She stood back up in order to offer her hand to Kioshi in greeting, her face lit with childish happiness.

Kioshi tentatively lifted his own hand; hesitated a bit before taking the girl's hand and shaking it. "I'm Kioshi Hotaka," he replied.

Rei saw Kioshi's eyes dart towards her direction and she smiled at him, assuring him that it was alright. Also, she rolled her eyes a bit and walked towards Usagi, draping an arm around the girl's 

shoulders. "Usagi," she said in a motherly like way of educating her child. "If you're going to greet all my friends like that, you'll scare them."

"Beh!" Usagi teased, sticking her tongue out at her friend. She let go of Kioshi's hand, winked at him, and wriggled off of Rei's grasp, whispering only to her, "He's okay."

Rei smiled inwardly, knowing that the rest of the girls will eventually voice the same opinion about Kioshi. She knew to trust her pigtailed friend's opinion. Usagi was always easy to trust people and yet she never failed to do so. It's as if once she gave her trust to someone, that person will never do anything to break that trust, no matter how much he or she broke other people's trust in the past. _That is Usagi's magic_, Rei thought to herself as she started preparing the rest of the plates for her friends as the three other girls introduced themselves to Kioshi.


	8. Interactions

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed as Usagi choked on her slice of cake. The pigtailed girl pouted back at them, resting her eyes on Kioshi, to whom she stuck her tongue out to. Kioshi wiped a stray tear in his left eye, his stomach hurting. He cannot remember when he had laughed so hard.

"Really Rei," Usagi began once she was able to wash down the piece that clogged her system. She turned on the raven haired girl seated to Kioshi's right, her eyes suspicious. "You really did bake this cake?"

"I told you," Rei clucked like a mother hen would to her skeptical hatchling. "I did bake this cake. I got the recipe from one of our old family cupboards. I didn't even think that we'd still have some of the exotic ingredients."

"Exotic ingredients like what?" asked the other blonde who Kioshi learned was Minako. "Don't tell me you put lizard's tail in this or toenails or something. Like those wicked witch stories we read in elementary."

At that, Usagi poked the rest of her share of the cake as if waiting for a lizard to come alive. "Stop that," Rei said, poking Usagi in turn with her fork, causing the latter to throw the cake up in the air.

_Apparently, Usagi's ticklish. I wonder if Rei's—_(splat!)

"Hahaha!" Another round of laughter raced through the girls as this time, the object of their mirth was Kioshi. The cake dropped directly on his blond head, startling him out of mid-thought. He kept the blush from rising up his cheeks and instead, hid it by laughing along with the rest.

"There. There." It was Ami, theone with the impossibly blue hair told him. She handed Kioshia handkerchief to take off the bulk of the cake. Her eyes were twinkling with restrained amusement.

"You better wash that out, Kioshi," Makoto, the tallest of them, told him. She clapped him on the back affectionately before continuing, "We don't know what's inside that cake. We wouldn't want it forever stuck in your hair."

"Hey! Hey!" Rei warned, a little more serious this time. "Those kinds are baked by Usagi, not me! I—ouch!" Rei didn't get to finish what else she was about to say for Usagi had grabbed the sides of her mouth and stretched them as wide as was humanly possible. Kioshi stared at both the girls acting like—well—girls, his eyes wide. Rei somehow managed to pry Usagi's hands off of her and had the pigtailed girl stumble back. "Why you," she started and chased after the already running Usagi.

Following the two chase each other like cat and dog, Kioshi looked up a little, surprised by the hand that rested on his shoulder, "Come on, kid." It was Minako, looking down on him. She was standing, making it hurt for Kioshi to look up for so long. Instead, he looked at the two other girls, Makoto and Ami, cleaning up the rest of the plates. The girls' chasing each other was apparently a sign that they were finished eating.

Kioshi stood up and went to the nearest wash room to get rid of the already hardening cake in his hair. He would have insisted on helping the girls wash the dishes but including himself, the sink will only get too crowded.

Inside the same bathroom where he took a shower, Kioshi shook his hair free of the big chunks of cake into the toilet bowl and flushed it. Then took off his shirt, not wanting to get it wet since he only bought one extra. It was a good thing he brought that extra shirt, he didn't know he was going to sweat the whole of that morning scrubbing at the shrine walls.

Bending on the waist, his head over the bathtub, Kioshi turned the faucet on. His hair was not yet dry from the afternoon's shower, now he was going to wash it again. The onslaught of cold water sent goosebumps all over his arms and he felt himself shiver. The rest of the cake slid off his blond hair with his hands helping the rest disentangle from the strands. While doing so, Kioshi turned his attention to the noise outside.

"Usagiii!!" Kioshi could hear Rei shouting, pissed off at her friend. They were still chasing each other apparently. He could hear their feet thumping around the house. There was a pause on one of the feet, then a kind of rustling sound, then followed by the same feet starting to run.

(Whap!)

"Owww!" wailed Usagi's shrill voice, followed by someone crying—Kioshi guessed it was Usagi as well. It rang all the way to Kioshi's eardrum, making him rub the inside of his ears a few times to get the ringing off of it. "You're so mean, Rei!"

Shaking his head at the childishness that he was hearing as much as letting the water drip off his head, Kioshi straightened himself up and proceeded toweling his hair dry. He swayed a moment due to the sudden rush of blood away from his brain but managed to grab hold of the sink before sliding on the tiled bathroom floor. It was a hard fall on his bum, one that would have expected a yelp from him had he been in his own flat. Instead, Kioshi bit his lower lip to keep from groaning from the pain. Suddenly, everything went black.

—_He was running hard. At first everything was pitch black, all he could here was the rustling of the leaves around him. Then his surroundings began to take form either by the light that was starting to grow from somewhere or that his eyes were getting accustomed to the dark. Kioshi did not know. All around him were trees, mostly oak trees, some cherry blossoms. He seemed to be running in the middle of a thick forest._

_Kioshi was panting and panicking. All he could think of was to run straight ahead, wherever it was. He had to do something before it's too late. The branches of the trees seemed to close in on him, bushes snagging at his clothes and exposed legs. He didn't mind the sting of thorns, he must get there in time._

_After what seemed like an eternity of running, Kioshi saw a light glimming in front of him, beyond the tree. He ran faster, only then realizing he still had the strength to run some more. At last he emerged into the blinding rays of the sun._

"_Wake up."_

"_Huh?" Kioshi could not see._

"_I said wake up."—_

"Meow!"

Kioshi came to. He slowly opened his eyes, half expecting to be blinded but the light in the room where he was was not harsh. In front of him, particularly on his stomach sat a purplish black cat with the same eye color staring into his green ones. Kioshi's gaze went up and focused on the golden patch of furless skin on the cat's forehead. It was shaped in a crescent moon. "Meow," it said again, standing up and setting its right paw on its chest, as if inquiring whether he was already awake and okay.

Stranged by the cat, Kioshi lifted it up from his chest and set it down beside him. As his body stretched, he felt a sharp sting on his backside. _My face just happen to rid itself of its bruises and now it's my butt_.

Groaning, Kioshi slowly pulled himself up to stand. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing a somewhat disshiveled guy staring back at him, eyes wide. Quickly, he combed his still wet hair using his hands and pulled over his shirt. Looking back towards the bathtub in order to thank the cat, he found that it was no longer there. Thinking that it was a last bid of hallucination, Kioshi shrugged and left the bathroom.

In the living room of the house, Kioshi found the girls seated on the floor around the table; all except Makoto, who was nowhere to be seen and Usagi who was standing near one of the sofas looking cross, her eyes seemingly touched with a little redness. Guessing what might have happened, Kioshi looked across to Rei, whose arms were crossed in front of her, her face the image of a smug princess who just told someone that she was not to be messed with.

Minako was the first one to see Kioshi. She smiled up at him and beckoned him to sit between her and Rei. "Don't mind them. They're always like that. And if you like to know, Rei spanked Usagi with one of the shrine's ground brooms." The blonde girl giggled and looked back at Usagi to see the other girl sticking her tongue out at her.

"Come on, Rei," Ami said from across Kioshi. "You know Usagi was only teasing. What has gotten into you? You don't normally go too far."

"Maybe it's Kioshi." It was Minako who answered the blue haired girl. She bent forward a bit to look past Kioshi in order to see Rei. Kioshi looked at Rei, too, but the girl just stuck her chin higher than what was attractive.

"Don't start Mina," Makoto warned her friend as she emerged from the door connecting to the kitchen. She walked towards Usagi and handed the girl a cold compress and a plastic bag. To the latter she said, "Here. Place the compress inside the bag, put the bag wherever you like and sit on it. The ice will help 

lessen the sting and while the plastic bag will keep the melting ice from getting wet whatever you sit on."

Usagi plopped down on the sofa she was leaning on, coincidentally far from Rei and just behind Ami. Makoto sat down beside Ami and looked at Rei. "Ami's right, you know. Apologize."

"She started it," Rei retorted, stubborn.

"Usagi always starts everything. But you never hit her purposely hard," replied Makoto. Rei looked at her with piercing eyes, one that could have made anyone turn tail and run. But the tall girl looked back unflinching. Kioshi reached for the water in front of him, preventing himself from sighing his tension. At last, Rei unlocked her arms and her shoulders relaxed. She looked at Usagi and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," she said, sincerity in her voice. "I didn't know what came over me. I never should have hit you. At least not that hard anyway."

Makoto turned to look at the still pouting Usagi and the latter looked back. In a second, Usagi was accepting Rei's apology. And in even a shorter time, Usagi was smiling again. Kioshi was amazed at how fast the pigtailed girl forgave her friend or maybe forget the incident.

"Meow."

Kioshi turned to see the same black cat he saw in the bathroom. It was standing now on the armrest on where Usagi was seated. Usagi turned to tickle the little cat's neck, making the latter purr.

"Oh yeah," Usagi said. "You haven't met our other friends, have you?" She looked at Kioshi, her eyes twinkling. As if on cue, the white cat that Kioshi remember Minako was holding earlier, jumped from behind the sofa on to the other armrest. It also had the same golden patch of crescent moon on its forehead. Indicating the black cat, Usagi continued, "This is Luna, my loyal companion. And this"—she patted the white cat—"is Artemis. He is Minako's companion. Luna, Artemis, this is Kioshi."

If Kioshi had been keen enough, he would have noticed the slight nod from both cats. Instead, he saw both cats jump from the sofa. Artemis walked gingerly to Minako, asking for the same stroked Usagi gave the other cat. Luna, on the other hand, walked gracefully towards Kioshi. She jumped on the table and again, stared into Kioshi's eyes. Not realizing it, Kioshi was leaning forward to return the cat's gaze. He could the girls looking at the two of them. Suddenly, Luna licked the tipped of his nose and mewed. The cold saliva got Kioshi to sit back and almost hit the other sofa at his back. The girls laughed.

"Luna says you're okay," Rei said, her beautiful smile back on her face. Kioshi looked at her, a bit mezmerized, and joined in the laughter.


	9. Weeks

Weeks passed and Kioshi was happily welcomed as the new help at the Hikawa Shrine and into the five girls' warm, albeit mysterious, circle. His work was from Mondays to Saturdays and he was expected to do a multitude of tasks. In the early mornings, he was tasked to greet early wishers into the shrine, attend to them as they get their _omikuji_ and endorse and sell several shrine items. Amazingly enough, the teenage girls and even some of the mothers believed him when he offered to sell to them the ointment that Rei's grandfather made and applied on his face weeks before. Either he was good at pitching his sales or that the shrine's work clothes for them fit him better than his usual clothes.

Apparently, there were two of them working at the Hikawa Shrine. He did not know this until the first day he worked officially. The other help's name was Yuichiro Kumada was quite rugged in his appearance, stubbles appear on his chin and upper lip. He wore his brown hair loose just below the shoulders and talked as if he came from a land of seas and shores. Rei's grandfather once told him that Yuichiro used to work for them before but that for some reason, he disappeared only to reappear years later. "Since we did not have anything against Yuichiro and since we still need help, we took him back," said the grandfather.

Kioshi guessed that Yuichiro was an okay guy, although the latter did not show himself much around the shrine grounds. He always seemed to have so many things to do, more than Kioshi's share of work from the looks of it. The few times that Kioshi was able to talk to the guy, their conversations oftentimes run short and usually revolve around Rei.

"She's okay, isn't she?" Yuichiro once asked Kioshi as they were both collecting firewood in the shrine's mini-forest. They had been talking about each other's first impressions of Rei, how they first met her and came to work at the shrine. Yuichiro's account was a bit blurred; he seemed to have acquired a gap in his memory for some reason.

"Yeah," replied Kioshi. "I think she's unique. There are not much girls I know who have this—" he looked around as if he could find among the trees the right word he was searching for. "—spark."

"I know what you mean," Yuichiro replied, almost in a sigh. Kioshi looked sideways at him. The guy had paused in the middle of his picking up a fallen branch, his look reflective. But in about a second, Yuichiro continued what he was supposed to do and then faced Kioshi. "But don't get too involved. The experience might not be what you thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" Kioshi asked, curious. But Yuichiro merely shrugged and moved on deeper into the mini-forest. Assuming that it meant the end of their conversation, Kioshi went back to the shrine's bath houses to deposit his armload of firewood.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

In the weeks that Kioshi worked, he cannot help but notice a strangeness when Rei and her friends gather to meet at the Hikawa Shrine. Somehow, he had the feeling that their being together was more of a meeting than some girly socialization or some such thing. At one time he thought the girls stopped whispering when they saw him pass the living room where they were supposedly having a group study. Or that whenever it was his break and Usagi would ask him to join them, they would all be having fun or in the pigtailed girl and Rei's case, having their usual fight. Sometimes, he would see Rei and Ami huddled together in one corner, deep in conversation about something that only heaven knows what. Kioshi was curious. But it was the girls' business, not his. And then there were times when one of the girls would just stop in mid-sentence and then as if an alarm rang somewhere, they would all excuse themselves and leave Kioshi to pick up the dishes or whatever things they left in haste. And those times, the girls were led by the one of the cats or both. At one point, Kioshi asked Rei about it but the latter just brushed his question aside and bossed him into picking up scattered leaves on the shrine grounds. He got the point there. He will not ask again.

Luckily though, Rei's grandfather was always there to cheer him up or bring him back from his confusion whenever left alone by the girls. The old man was strange but pleasant in his own way, much as Kioshi expected. He had a lot of stories about the shrine, how it passed from his great grandfather, to his grandfather, to father, and then to him. Not having a willing successor, he was hoping somehow that Rei would continue this legacy, if not, he would either have to train one—_probably Yuichiro_, thought Kioshi—or leave the shrine to whoever is interested.

Kioshi kind of felt a little sorry for the old man. He knew somehow how he felt. Kioshi was an only child borne to a struggling family until his father struck a big business deal and now was in the United States to expand the booming business. His mother, ever supportive and very much still in love, left with his father leaving him alone to fend for himself. They occasionally wire him wads of money for his education and living expenses. They were not uncaring parents _per se_ but Kioshi sometimes missed them. And being an only child, he was expected to carry on the business once he graduates from college. If not, his father would have to give it all up to the market to buy. He doesn't think he can take that. It was only too much of a miracle that his dad got his big break and it will only be too sad to lose it just because the son cannot fulfill. Kioshi's guilt would not, could not, take that.

The old man also was apparently up to date on all the gossip among the regular shrine goers. For him, the regulars are the most problematic of all of the people who come to the shrine. "One can only offer so much prayers in a day," was what he whispered to Kioshi as one of the regulars passed by. He also, to Kioshi's mild surprise, was a funny little dirty old man. He would chase after the teenage girls whenever he was out of Rei's watchful eyes and offer them some unheeded love advice. In his craziest times, he would accidentally on purpose stumble just about 2 inches from one of the girls' shoes and look up their skirts, not minding the stomps and shrieks that come afterward. Of course, he would always have his magic ointment in hand to later endorse it to the girls. He was that lively that Kioshi wondered at how old he could be for being so springy.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

"I'm good, Mom," Kioshi spoke into his cellphone. It was a surprise that his mother suddenly called him and asked how he was doing. It was not always so for a couple of years since his dad's big break. "I got a summer job at a shrine near here by accident."

He was picking up the scattered school books around his bed and on the floor; the ones he promised to himself that he'd clean up after the school year was done. He was feeling good and he felt better at this surprise call, he so missed them.

"Nah Ma," he reassured his mother. "I have money. I still have a lot of what you gave me last week. I just thought that it would be a change and a much productive time if I spend the summer working instead of lounging around." _I have been lounging around_, he thought, fixing his blanket this time, the cellphone he kept between his shoulder and ear to keep from falling.

"Ah no, I did not hit my head," he said, stifling a laugh. "You always said that I should do something worthwhile. It's just that taking some art or whatever summer class won't do the thing for me. Turns out that I only need a more physical work than the mental ones you suggested." Kioshi moved to his study table, removed the clutter of clothes on the chair and sat down.

"Alright," he said. A moment later he was greeting his father on the phone.

"Kioshi!" His father's booming voice never failed to surprise him. Kioshi's father had always been this meek creature that couldn't hurt a fly. It was only when the business flourished that his father started gaining confidence in big waves. Now, from the soft fatherly voice he used to remember, his father seemed like a whole new man. "How have you been, son?"

"Like I told Mom, Dad, I'm okay," Kioshi said, shaking his head if only to remind himself that this was really his father.

"I gotta tell you," his father continued, not really hearing Kioshi's reply, "you have to come here one of these summers. It's great!"

Kioshi rolled his eyes, knowing that his father will start rambling about America again as he always did whenever they got a chance to talk. He was always like that, talking about the different important people he dealt business with, the celebrities he met, and all that. Kioshi did not need to hear all these things but he cannot blame his father either. It was a dream come true for his father and Kioshi could not help but feel happy for him, too. Still, he wished his father just talk to him like a son and not a successor to the business.

"There's this great man I want you to meet," his father almost gushed. "He's a politician and a really good business man I tell you. And he has a daughter almost the same age as you studying there in Juban. Perhaps you want to meet?" Then his father gave a hearty laugh. He was always kidding around with Kioshi when it comes to girls, knowing how shy the son, like the father, is.

"No thanks, Dad." Kioshi laughed in spite of himself. "I think I can handle my love life on my own."

A few minutes later on the phone, Kioshi gave his goodbyes and hang up the phone. He looked at his room still cluttered but less so. "I think that's a nicely done work," he muttered to himself and plopped down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling. _A daughter in Juban, huh. I already found the girl I want. Fat chance she's the daughter of that politician._

Kioshi shot up suddenly. "That's right! It's my day off. I'll go see the girls."


	10. Picnic

"Kioshi! You shouldn't be here, it's your day off!"

Kioshi waved back at Rei's grandfather from behind the counter of the shrine's fortune and charms store. "I know. But you know me, I'm a workaholic."

"Stop pulling my leg, son," the old man laughed. "I know what you're here for. I think they're out in the back."

Nodding, Kioshi hurried behind one of the shrine houses trying to hide his reddening face from the girls who were looking at him from the store. He gave a quick nod as well to Yuichiro who was rearranging the lanterns atop one of the trees.

He started looking for Rei inside one of houses, calling out her name but there was no answer. _Hmm_, he thought, _maybe she's out tending to the animals_. Kioshi went out back. He found it fascinating that Rei takes so much to all kinds of animals although when it comes to her own species, she's more distant. He remembered the one time he saw Rei sing to the nesting birds in the forest and they all seemed to sing with her, chirping and flying nearer to her. Strangely, however, Rei seemed to be closer to two particular crows—Deimos and Phobos. Rei introduced them to him at the time when the crows squawked their alarm at Kioshi's coming there. But Rei merely clicked her tongue and the two crows settled without further disturbance, their eyes staring at Kioshi's. Chills ran up his spine then. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen.

"Rei!" Kioshi called out once he was within the forest grounds. From a distance he heard leaves rustling and twigs breaking. Moving toward the sound's direction, it seemed more like fighting. He began hearing grunts and controlled shouts, and something like someone falling on their butt. He rounded a tree and a few feet away from him was a clearing ending at a cliff. Where the trees ended, rounding the clearing in a half circle, fences surrounded and secured the edge of the cliff itself. Only one tree stood by the edge of the cliff.

He saw the girls then. They seemed to be practicing or training some martial arts moves. He saw Rei showing Usagi some high strung moves he had never seen before. He also saw the bottom of Usagi's _gi_ all dirtied—Kioshi just smiled to himself. Several feet away from them, to his right, were Makoto and Minako practicing against each other, one dodging or parrying while the other strikes and then they'd switch roles. Under the solitary tree, Ami sat, apparently tinkering with an odd looking palm-sized gadget, beside her, several more gadgets were lying about, some looking like a brooch while others looked like enlarged pens.

Before he could take a good look at the gadgets, a cat mewed from one of the trees. The girls stopped suddenly and looked to his general direction. It was Rei who saw him first, surprise momentarily showing in her eyes. She walked to him immediately, blocking his view of the girls, but only after he saw Ami hurrying to hide the gadgets. It was Usagi, however, who got to Kioshi first, running, smiling, and panting at the same time.

"Kioshi!" she shouted. "Thank you so much for coming. Rei was being harsh on me again." Usagi then moved to hide behind his back and stuck her tongue out to Rei.

"Don't be stupid, Usagi." Rei chastised her friend. "It was your fault that you didn't keep you balance. At least all that fat on your butt is saving you a lot of bruises." Rei then looked at Kioshi and talked above Usagi's retorts, "what brings you here? Isn't it your day off?"

"Uhm," Kioshi hesitated, not really sure and totally forgetting what he'd say to excuse his coming to the shrine. "I just thought I can still help despite my day off…"

"Oh," Rei just replied, looking back at the three other girls behind her. They were already packing up their things. Makoto, however, was unpacking a picnic basket, Usagi—quick as a rabbit—was picking through the sandwiches and food. Rei turned back to Kioshi, "Well then, you could help us keep Usagi from eating all the food and starving the rest of us."

o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – o

As the rest of the gang cleaned up the clutter and mess they, and mostly Usagi, made during the picnic, Kioshi politely took Rei's hand and pulled her aside. Surprised, Rei asked, "What's up?"

"Does your practice as the shrine's future priestess give you powers?"

"Why do you say that?" Rei's hear beat faster, _does he know something?_

"Well, I've been having this uhm," Kioshi hesitated, scratching his head. Rei did not want to preempt him so she just patiently waited for him to decide whether he will tell her. After several seconds he continued, "I've been having these strange dreams lately. Well, they're not exactly dreams because I wasn't sleeping. It happens mostly in the day and oftentimes I feel like I'm about to faint."

Rei sat silently, listening to the gang as they finish up cleaning, knowing that they were listening in on their conversation. She'll rely on Ami's deductions later. But now, her instincts will have to guide her. "By what you just said, it seems that you are having visions."

"Oh," Kioshi reacted. Rei looked at his expression, looking for clues whether he actually knows something about them. Or worse, whether he was remembering his old life again as Jadeite. "Then if I'm having visions, what does that mean?"

"I don't know," Rei answered truthfully and at the same time, wanted to know more. "Do you remember any of it?"

"I don't remembering everything," Kioshi said, his brows furrowing, trying to recall. "They are mostly blurred and they happen so fast that I don't even get to make sense of any of them."

"I see, then," Rei said. "I cannot do anything about your visions, if you want me to stop them. You may be prescient." She took Kioshi's hand. It was cold and shaking. Rei held it palms up and looked at the lines etched on it, reading his life. She knew that Kioshi knows what she was doing, but that does not mean that he know what she is reading.

_He has two life lines,_ Rei thought as her index finger trace both life lines. _And this first one is cut off suddenly, probably Jadeite's life_. She traced the other one feeling Kioshi shiver, smiling to herself at the idea that this guy, whose life before had been as a cruel knight to an equally evil queen, can be ticklish. _This other one is longer, Kioshi's._ She continued to trace it to the end. Looking at it, there did not seem to be a problem but tracing it again, Rei felt something. She closed her eyes this time and traced the second life line again, slowly. _There, _she sighed, _there is a fork in this part here, the other one abruptly ending. The problem is the path to this sudden cut is deeper than the fork with the longer one_. Rei opened her eyes worried.

"What is it?" Kioshi asked, his eyes mirroring the worry in Rei's.

The raven haired girl summoned a smile, "It's nothing. I have never seen someone have two different life lines before."

"Really?" he reacted, surprised. He looked at the palm Rei was looking at, his eyes wide in amazement, as if he had never really looked at it before. He also took Rei's hand to compare.

As he did so, a sensation ran through Rei's spine, like electricity flowing over her body. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a vision of the same clearing where they currently sat and then there was a blinding flash and someone screaming. Rei immediately withdrew her hand, trembling.

Alarmed, Kioshi stammered his apologies. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I—"

"It's okay," Rei assured him, recovering from the shock. "I'm alright. You just surprised me a bit."

Just then, a hand patted Kioshi's shoulder. "You're lucky," it was Usagi. "Usually, men who try to hold Rei's hands end up with their faces kissing the ground." She giggled and was pulled away by Minako.

"Don't listen to her," Rei said. "That girl is always exaggerating."

"Ha ha," Kioshi said it more that he laughed it. _Oddly enough, I think this time Usagi's telling the truth_.


End file.
